Thursday, January 26, 2012

That some scientists actually believe or support articles like this one is no wonder. They either believe because they simply want no other point of view; or they support the cause for political purposes, which engenders monetary gain. Warming conditions have not caused ‘catastrophic flooding all over the world.’ How much, or even whether at all, this melting iceberg contributed to global warming may be impossible to tell. We just know that its feared effect must have been overrated. Whatever happened to it between 1995 and 2012, whether it has fully melted yet or whether some modern Titanic has run into it, we have not heard. The reason why this piece of ice so quickly drifted off the media map is likely because its ominous danger was soon realized to be nebulous, if not entirely erroneous. Like Y2K, the iceberg once loomed large. But it must have disintegrated without catastrophe like the common snow-bank does come spring. Many ice shelves have been lost since 1978, says another article from 1998 on the same subject (‘Antarctic Ice Sheet is Melting,’ Red Deer Advocate, April 23, 1998.) The ice chunk in our pasted article came from the Larsen B Ice Shelf, which was scheduled to begin ‘crumbling rapidly’ by 1999. Concerning this, Ted Scambos, research associate from the National Snow and Ice Center of the University of Colorado gave warning in 1998, “This may be the beginning of the end.” I admit that language is somewhat guarded in reports like this by the use of words like may and could. But the tone and drift are calculated to incline one to believe the speculation, to believe the worst.

Back in 1995, and even as late as 1998, I regarded articles like this with some respect. But I’ve since learned that many warnings of doom are nothing more than the ‘great swelling words’ of Jude 16. And just as was done by these huffers and puffers chided by Jude, scientism’s prognosticators utter their doomsday climate change prophecies ‘because of advantage.’ There’s money and glory in it.Don’t get me wrong, though. It is naïve to insist that the way humans treat the planet is not negatively affecting it. But it is equally unwise to sound an apocalyptic trumpet because of something as innocuous as a melting chunk of ice, no matter how large it is. Do not exaggerate climate change like some Liberals and Democrats. But even more, do not stick your head in the sand like some Conservatives and Republicans. Global warming will indeed happen, and much more unexpectedly and extremely than all of us can imagine. “The elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up” (2 Peter 3.10.) Then your destiny, whether heaven or hellfire, will be confirmed by Jesus based on your faith in him, or your unbelief of him, before your death. Am I now guilty of what I just reprehended? Am I blowing an apocalyptic trumpet unnecessarily? No. There may be some kind of global warming trend. But there will be a fiery end to this world. Scientists frequently err. The Bible never errs. Jesus is coming back to judge. We better all get ready!